Modern Desperado
by goombra
Summary: Craig and Tweek had been inseparable but when Tweek falls into a dangerous past time and pushes everyone away, will anyone be there to save him when he takes things too far? CREEK, DRUG USE
1. The Beginning of the End

**hii! i started this story before but didn't really like it so i'm starting again!**

 **i'm really please with the first chapter so far**  
 **also im not from the us so im not sure how the school system works**  
 **so if i get anything wrong let me know!**

 **please keep in mind that this fic will be dark**  
 **it involves drug use and other things**  
 **so if that's not your thing please click away**

 **i'm going to try and update every wednesday**  
 **but no promises**

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I stood at the foot of the bed. Staring. The lump in my throat threatened to push the tears from the corner of my eyes. The bed will never be the same. I'll never look at it in the same way. I stared, tears falling from my eyes and down my cheeks.

Why? Why me? Why? I don't get it. What did he do wrong?. Why him? Things were supposed to get better. This wasn't meant to happen. My throat tightened as a quiet sob escaped my mouth. I couldn't wrap my head around anything. It had all happened so quickly and I hadn't had time to come to terms with it.

Quickly wiping the tears from my cheeks I turned away from the bed. The rain was beating heavily against my window. I had often heard him say that the sky always seemed to give the appropriate weather for the mood, and I guess he was right. I was miserable, and the weather seemed pretty fucking miserable as well.

I kicked my rain soaked shoes off and flopped down onto my desk chair. A spinny one, spinny chairs had always been his favourite and somewhere along the way they had became mine as well.

I sighed, running my hands down my tear sodden face. God, I was being a bitch. I deemed it excusable though, considering the situation.

The faint sound of mumbling and shuffling could be heard outside my door. I guess whoever it was knew better than to step foot into my room, let's say they probably wouldn't get a happy welcoming.

Looking out my window, the rain fall was turning the snow on the ground to a grey mush. God, did I hate that mush. He had hated it as well. He would always complain about it soaking through his shoes and making his feet wet. I would always tell him to buy better shoes, but I'd just be given a glare in return. I guess that's when I started hating it as well.

Shit. I had to stop thinking about him. I was crying again. With a pitiful sniffle, I wiped my eyes.

I suppose I should explain who 'He' is. 'He' is Tweek. My… My… Something. It was never clear what exactly we were, But God, whatever it was I loved everything about it.

I loved everything about him. The nest of hair that I'd run my fingers through in the morning in an attempt to bush out the tats. The cute little glare he'd throw my way whenever I said something he didn't agree with. Then there was his eyes. Oh God, his eyes. I could never find words to describe them. They were a different colour every time I say them, hazel during the day, a deep forest green at night whenever we'd be lying in bed staring into each other's eyes, and when the sun caught them just right they'd be an amazing bright blue that I'd never want to look away from. God I loved his eyes, even when they were surrounded by a ring of red, painful looking veins.

He had his problems. A lot of them in fact, but God was he amazing. I don't know what he did to deserve the cards he was dealt, but I had tried everything I could to change his hand.

Me and Tweek hadn't always been… Something. We hadn't actually spoken for quite a few years. He had fallen off the map during the summer of eighth grade, and when I saw him again he was a completely different person. A person I didn't want to be around, but if only I had maybe things would have been different.

Maybe I should explain a bit more of the story? It's unfortunately a pretty short story, but one with a lot of struggle.

I suppose I should give some backstory before I get to the real story. Tweek and I had known each other since elementary school, we were… Friends I guess you could say. We hung out sometimes but we were mostly seen with other people.

In middle school we became actual friends. We had our fair share of fights, but who didn't in middle school? What with all the hormones and hierarchy bullshit it was inevitable. For the most part, however, we were pretty close. It was in the last year of middle school, though, that Tweek became friends with someone I wish he hadn't. I care so little about the guy that I can't even remember his name, but he fucked Tweek up and for that he's lucky I can't remember his name.

It was subtle at first. The odd 'Hi' in the hallways. The year went on, however, and I began to see less of Tweek. He would skip school, which was very un-Tweek-like. He was always worried the school would ring his parents and they'd disown their 'disobedient' child. He would show up late to class, stumble through the door looking half dead. Late was something Tweek never was. The thought of him being late to anything was unimaginable.

I should have said something then, should have dragged him away from his new 'friend' whether he liked it or not; but I didn't. I carried on like I hadn't noticed he was missing. Carried on like he'd never been a member of 'Craig's gang', as we were known; and by we I mean, Clyde, Token, Jimmy and of course me. I guess everyone in the group followed my lead and forgot he was ever one of the gang. Jimmy would mention him every now and then, but he had become somewhat of a taboo subject. He who shall not be named, and fuck do I regret it.

Regretting it is all well and good, but it won't change anything. It won't bring my Tweek back to me. I digress, though.

Middle school was when his life had turned to shit. Middle school was the time we had each forgotten about the others existence. Middle school was when he needed my help the most and I completely abandoned him.

I guess I should get to the real story now.

It had been a shit morning. One quite like today. I had been woken up, first by the droning beep of my alarm clock, and secondly my by sister who had been sent by my mum when the alarm clocks attempt at waking me up had failed. Trica, my sister, had thrown herself through the door with a force that had caused it to smack the wall behind it with a thud. The abruptness of it was enough to actually make me jump. Me. Craig Tucker, who is notorious for being unscareable.

"Mum says get up, you lazy shit."

I can't imagine my mum using those specific words, but then again we were the Tucker family. Swearing in every sentence was kind of mandatory.

"Okay, Okay, I'm up," I groaned, pushing her back off of my stomach, "Now get of me you heavy fucker."

All I got in return was, what I like to call, the Tucker salute before she jumped off the bed and ran out of my room.

I groaned for a second time in the space of five minutes as I ran my hand through my bedhead.

My room would be relatively dark if it weren't for the dreary sunlight bleeding it's way through the gap in my curtains and the artificial light from the hallway making its way through the door that my sister left open.

I could tell it was raining without even having to open the curtains. I could firstly tell from the sound of the rain beating off of my bedroom open, and secondly the fact that the light that did manage to leak it's way through the curtains was dull.

Great. Fucking great weather for the first day of my Senior year. Well it's not like I had to walk anyway. Mum and dad had graciously bought me a car for my eighteenth birthday as they were tired of the fact I was always borrowing their cars without asking. I wasn't complaining. I had been hounding them for my own car ever since I had learned how to drive.

So I considered it a win win situation.

I pushed my tired body out of the warm comfort of my bed and stumbled my way across the hall and into the bathroom. After a quick pee, and brush of my teeth I stumbled my way back into my room.

I sighed as I glanced around. School was something I could not be fucked with. It was full of assholes who would stop at nothing to get a one up on someone they didn't like. Drama. Drama everywhere. It was something that bored me.

The only plus side was getting to hang out with Token and Clyde. Jimmy's parents had moved them out of town over the summer of eighth grade. It was sad at the time, but we kept in touch through Facebook so it's not like the gang would never see him again. Even though I had seen Token and Clyde yesterday, we got together for our weekly joint, seeing them at school was completely different. For one we weren't getting high. Secondly, Token always acted different in school, uptight and proper, nothing like the loud potty mouthed bastard he is normally. Besides the point, though, school would be a complete waste of time without my two buddies.

Making my way over to the set of drawers opposite the foot of my bed, I opened the top drawer and picked out a plain dark grey t-shirt, then a pair of black skinny jeans, and lastly clean boxers. My fashion sense wasn't the best, plain and boring, just like me, as Trica always says; and I was fine with that. At least it was something, and if plain and boring was the vibe it gave of, even better. No unwanted attention drawn.

After my quick clothes change I was making my way down stairs. My mum was standing in the kitchen, making pancakes from the smell of it, and Trica was sitting in the middle of the couch shoveling one into her mouth while she stared fixedly at the TV.

"Hi mum." I muttered walking into the kitchen and towards the fridge.

"Hi sweetie." She smiled. "I'm making pancakes, grab yourself a plate this one's just about done."

I had a carton of orange juice pressed to my lips, but managed a thumbs up in response. Mum's pancakes are the best. She always manages to make them just how I like them, just barely turning brown. Clyde would always tell me they were gross as they were still raw on the inside, by hey, they're nice to me. Shoving the carton back into the fridge I grabbed a clean plate from the dish rack by the sink and walked over to her.

She already had the pancake on the spatula awaiting my plate, which I held out in front of me. "Thanks ma." I threw over my shoulder as I was leaving the kitchen.

Trica was still sitting in the middle of the couch when I walked up to her. "Move over." I muttered as I pushed my ass into the corner beside her. She did, without so much as a sigh, just scooting her bum down to the opposite end of the couch; she didn't even glance away from the TV.

I had been expecting a rhetorical remark or some sort of offensive gesture and I have to say I was slightly disappointed I hadn't received one, but I didn't dwell on it.

The pancake on my plate was gone within a few minutes and right as I was setting my plate down for another one Clyde texted the group chat he had set up, that had graciously been called 'Craig's Gang' by yours truly, demanding he got a lift to school. I sent back a quick 'I'll think about' in response before picking my plate back up with a half raw pancake on it.

My phone had buzzed several more times as I ate. I didn't even have to look at it to know that it would be Clyde practically begging me over the phone for a lift, using some lame blackmail attempt like, 'Remember I let you borrow my grinder that one time'.

When I finally did look at my phone again, having left my plate in the kitchen and returned to my room, he had indeed used the grinder blackmail that I had already repaid tenfold. I even spotted some messages from Token telling him that he should just buy himself a car if he didn't want to burn the calories it took to walk to school.

'You tell him Token,' was my reply as I dropped my phone onto my bed on my way to the wardrobe.

It took about ten minutes to dig through the thing to find my school bag from last year, because fuck buying a new one I wasn't made of money and my old one was still in perfectly good condition.

"Craig!" My mum called from downstairs.

"Yeah?"

"I'm taking Trica to school now." Some shuffling and muttered talking filled the pause, "And you'd better have left for school by the time I get back!" She added then left slamming the front door behind her.

"Right." I called in response as I pushed myself to my feet.

My bag had a few old books still left in it from last year, so I threw them into the wardrobe with little care and pushed the door closed.

My phone still hadn't stopped buzzing, Clyde was going on about pressing charges for bullying which I didn't even know was a thing? 'Get your shit I'm leaving now.' I texted quickly.

With a sign, I sent on last sorrowful glance back at my bed, picked my jacket up, my phone and bag, then promptly left making sure to close my door behind me.

There was a bitter wind outside that threatened to knock me off my feet. The rain had luckily subsided somewhat, there was still a mizzle but at least it wasn't pouring down. Pulling my worn black denim jacket tightly around myself, I closed and locked the front door behind me then made my way over to my bet up Ford Escort. A shit car, I know, but it got me places so that's all I cared about.

I started the engine, turned the heat up to max and set off towards Clyde's house. Me and Clyde didn't actually live all that far apart, but one I knew Clyde wasn't about to walk to my house for a lift, and two it was easier as I could threaten to leave if I thought he was taking too long.

I pulled up outside and honked the horn. As I waited I glanced around. My car was a tip. A faint smell of marijuana lingered in the car and joint butts littered the ground, which probably wasn't helping with the smell. Fast food wraps lay about the ground and I even had old clothes I was probably meant to take to charity sitting in the back seats. The seats were stained and a few knobs had fallen off the dashboard, all in all a piece of shit. The only redeeming quality was a pair of fuzzy dice I had hanging from the rear view mirror.

As I was inspecting the cleanliness of my car, Clyde had barreled his way through the door and was now sitting shivering in the passenger seat.

"Fuck dude, it's not that cold." I stated with a blank stare in his direction. God, he could be such a drama queen.

"It is!" He whined as I pulled away from the curb. "You're just a stone cold bitch and that's why you don't notice."

"Mhm" Was my bland reply.

We headed to school in silence for the most part. Clyde had this thing about singing every song he knew on the radio, whether he knew the right words or not. It wasn't him singing that was annoying, well it wasn't the most annoying thing. What was most annoying was the fact he make up what he thought the words were or just mumble incoherent gibberish to the tune of the song. I can never pick which one I find worse.

I'd learned not to tell him to shut up. It'd only make him louder and a loud, annoying Clyde was something I was not up for dealing with on a Monday morning on the first day back to school at eight in the fucking morning.

Pulling into the school car park I drove around quietly until I found the first free parking space I could. Exiting the car I grabbed my bag from the backseat, waited for Clyde to do the same then headed towards the front of the school.

"Think Token's here yet?" Clyde asked from behind me.

Ever since we started High School Token, Clyde and I always met at the front doors of the school. It had always been the easiest place to find each other, everyone passed through the front doors, be it there were multiple front doors but we had decided on one to meet at and since the first day it had never changed.

Of course, when I learned to drive Clyde had decided that I would be the one to drop him off at school and not his mum, so I never had to wait at the front door for him anymore. Which could be considered a good thing as Clyde was known for being late.

"Probably, he always likes to be an hour early." I replied dryly.

It was true, though, Token was always the first out of the three to us to show up at school. He set the standard for Craig's gang that neither me nor Clyde upheld. It wasn't a surprise, however, Clyde and I would probably be considered delinquents next to Token. Hell, everyone could probably be considered a delinquent next to Token. Something that Clyde would never admit, as he was a 'Good boy who never did anything wrong.' or so he likes to tell himself.

Token was standing to the side of the hallway occupying himself with his phone when we walked into the building.

"Hey." He said with a smile when he saw us approaching.

"Hey man!" Clyde smiled draping an arm around Token and pulling him close into a side hug.

"Yo." I answered with a weak salute.

"Fuck, feels like forever since we've been here." Clyde exclaimed as we all headed down the hall in search of our lockers, not that we had anything to but in them yet.

"I really does." Token agreed.

As they started talking between themselves I people watched. There were a lot of familiar faces. Kenny, Kyle, Stan and Butters stood circled round each other at the side of the hallways talking about something. Kyle seemed pretty excited about whatever it was, maybe one of those extravagant holidays his parents always liked to take him and Ike on during the summer holiday.

Bebe, Wendy and a few other girls were a little further down the hall. Bitching and talking about whatever it was girls normally talk about on the first day back to school; maybe digging up drama from the year before? Clyde blow a wolf whistle in Bebe's direction, who winked slyly in return.

"Clyde!" She yelled prancing over to him. She gracefully threw her arms around him in a hug, "Haven't seen ya in a while babe." I scoffed and walked away from the pair, it was too early in the damn morning to be dealing with their flirty bullshit. Token just chuckled and followed.

Clyde had been fawning over Bebe for years, literal years. It wasn't that he wanted to date her, oh no, he just wanted to fuck. Bebe had known for a while, it's not like he was ever discrete about the fact, and she would often tease him on the fact but over the summer Bebe gave in to Clyde's constant hounding and they finally fucked. I didn't care, really, but when it first happened Clyde went on about it for about a week. About how they were now friends with benefits, his words not mine.

So, while the pair fussed over each other, Token and I continued down the hallway. We came to our lockers soon after, there were three lockers between mine and Token's while Clyde was on the other side of the hall.

Speaking of the devil, he came sauntering down the hallway with a cheesy grin plastered on his face. He saddled up to us, threw a shoulder around each of our shoulders and whispered, "Say boys, shall we go for a smoke before class?"

Normally Token would say no to a smoke before class. He didn't want to 'impair his grades' or whatever bullshit excuse he used at the time. Clyde and I managed to persuade him, though, it was the first day of school, we wouldn't be doing anything important and so it wouldn't matter. The fact that we said everyone would probably be doing it made it even more tempting and so he joined Clyde and I as we made our way out to the back of the school.

Clyde had been bitching about how cold it was from the moment we had left the building. It wasn't even that cold, the school building sheltered us from most of the wind and the sun was shining on this side of the building.

"Stop being a pussy, you pussy, it's not cold" I barked at him from my hunkered down position as I proceeded to roll the joint. I had been nominated the joint roller of the gang because apparently I was the best at it, which I wasn't going to argue about because it was true.

I saw out of the corner of my eye that he was about to nudge me but seemed to reconsider it considering what I was doing. "It is!" He insisted, "Like I said you're just stone cold so you don't notice it."

"It really isn't, Clyde." Token chimed in, "If you're so cold you should have put a thicker jacket on."

"But I didn't think a head!" He pouted, "And Craig would have left be behind if I went inside for a better one." He whined shooting me a glare. As if this was my fault, but it was true I would have left him.

Token just shook his head, "Well at least you'll know now for tomorrow."

Clyde gaped, "You guy's have no sympathy."

Token chuckled and I just rolled my eyes.

After finally rolling the joint to perfection I straightened up and flicked the lighter, lighting the thing up. The first deep inhale is always the worst, but the best at the same time. The burn at the back of my throat is always a welcome feeling. Clyde quickly shut up after spotting me with a burning joint, he knew I wouldn't hesitate to skip his turn if he didn't. It was my weed after all, so I got to choose who got a smoke from it.

Taking a few last drags I held the bitter tasting smoke for a few beats longer than necessary before passing it over to Clyde, who looked relieved whenever I did.

"Nng, oh God, oh fuck." Came the mumbled voice from behind us.

At first I thought it was Clyde burning his fingers on the joint, which wouldn't have been the first time; but when I looked at him and he shook his head I turned to Token. I knew it wasn't him, but maybe he knew who it was. He pointed behind Clyde and I.

When we turned I saw a face I hadn't been expecting too. He was patting down his pockets frantically, a panicked expression taking over his face. I stared, not knowing what to do. I wasn't all that worried about the fact we'd just been caught smoking weed behind the school, Token and Clyde didn't seem worried either. Hell, I don't even think we'd been noticed yet.

He stumbled his way closer before finally looking up when he heard Clyde handing the joint to Token with a 'Here.'

He froze, pale faced and mouth hanging open.

He stood stiffly and stared.

"Tweek." Token muttered gently. "Can we help you with something?"

Tweek stared.

"Have you lost something?" He pressed.

This had to have been the first time I had seen Tweek properly in what felt like years. He had changed. He stood like he was about to collapse at any minute. Legs shaking under the weight of his body. Hands gripped tightly against his chest, I think I noticed a joint clenched between one of them. His hair was just as messing as ever, however, it was weak and dull looking. His build was that of a skeletons, boney, even under the layers of clothes he had onto try and keep himself warm, a jumper and two jackets seriously? I could see that his legs were abnormally thin, his jeans, that I guessed were meant to be skinny, were clinging to his hips bones that I could imagine were jutting out from underneath his sickly pale skin. His face was hollow looking, eyes sunken in and cheeks bones sticking out with those trademark black bags under his eyes. He looked fragile, like he would break at any minute.

I cleared my throat which jolted him out of his trance.

"Um, ah, lighter." He stuttered. Glancing between the three standing in front of him, who I would say were a good foot taller than him.

I shoved my hand into the pocket of my jacket in search for the lighter I'd just used. "Here." I said handing it towards him when I had found it.

He reached a skeletal looking hand out towards me and took the lighter. "Thanks." I heard him whisper as he ducked his head to shelter from the slight wind as he lit up his joint.

I could see the relief wash over his face as he finally took a draw, then handed the lighter back to me with another weak thanks.

"How've you been? It's been forever man." Clyde asked as Token passed our joint back to me.

It had been forever. We hadn't spoken much in middle school after he started to grow distant and not at all throughout high school. Well, I think Token maybe had, he never said anything as Tweek was something of a taboo subject with us, but you could tell he was worried when Tweek would walk past us in the hall and Tokens worried gaze would follow him.

"Nng, good.. I guess," He said it like a question, which I don't think passed over anybody's head. "How've you…" He glanced between Clyde, Token and I, "Been…"

Clyde smiled as nonchalantly as he could manage, "I've been good, school's a bitch but life's pretty good." He tried to joke which only got a weak chuckle out of Tweek.

Dropping the butt of the joint into the snow, whoever's weed it was got to kill it; that was our unspoken rule, I glanced at Clyde who nodded subtly.

"It was good seeing ya man, but we're gonna go back inside before the bell rings." He smiled as he followed me past Tweek and round the corner of the building. Token was slow to follow.

"Look after yourself." I heard him say warmly from the other side of the corner before I spotted him following with a pitiful expression.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

Little did I know that that one small encounter would be the start of something beautiful.


	2. Dreaded First Day

**sorry bout the wait  
i've had this half written for months but then shit happened and i just lost motivation  
got it done now though so  
hope you enjoy!**

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The bell for first period rang as we stepped foot into the building. I don't really care whether I made it to class on time or not, it was the first day after all and it wasn't like the teachers were going to have much planned for the day. Then again, this was high school and this was our senior year, so who knew what they were planning.

I wouldn't be surprised if we had a pop quiz sprung on us.

Besides the point, though. I just didn't care. After what I'd just witnessed I don't know if I would be able to concentrate on anything for the rest of the day.

Tweek, once my best friend, looked like a fucking corpse. I knew he looked bad, even without seeing him in months. I just knew. I knew what he was doing to himself and I chose to ignore it because I didn't want to put myself through the possible trouble it would cause. I was being selfish. Everyone with eyes could see that I was, but at the end of the day I guess I was just scared. I knew what I was scared of and I couldn't bring myself to say it.

Sometime during my inner monologue Token had caught up with me and Clyde. He hadn't been that far behind to begin with, a few paces really, but he was now walking alongside me.

"Tweek needs serious help."

I looked over at him with a slight scowl. It wasn't unlike him to care, he had always been the caring one out of the three of us, it wasn't like him to be so blunt about it, however.

"Yeah, no shit." I stated bluntly, "Dude's a fucking mess."

Token just sighed and looked at me with a pitiful expression. "Don't you think we should do something?"

I ignored him and looked to the ground.

Clyde walked along quietly to my left. Very un-Clyde like. I sighed as we walked the rest of the way to class in silence.

Around halfway through first period, Clyde had started to cheer up. He was chatting away happily to Kenny about something, something vulgar probably as that was their favourite thing to talk about, while I sat beside him with my chin resting on my hand. Token wasn't in our class, he was in advanced classes; the smart bastard. So I was left to myself.

I mean I wasn't I could have talked to anybody in the classroom if I liked, I just didn't want to. We were allowed to talk to whomever as I had been right in my predictions. The teacher had let us pick our own seats, Clyde and I sat beside each other of course, handed out our class books for the year then stuck on some video to do with the subject as something easy for the first day.

It was boring, and quiet clear that nobody was actually watching the video, well maybe one or too; like me for example. That's how I knew it was rest of the class sat talking amongst themselves, or doing God knows what on their phones; that included the teacher. She sat, chewing on a piece of gum with her feet on the desk and her phone in hand.

If this was the state of the teachers it's a wonder any of us made it to senior year.

The rest of the classes dragged on much the same as the first. We'd arrive to class, sit were we liked if the rare teacher hadn't made a seating plan and we'd do basically fuck all for that class. The few teachers that actually cared about their jobs even did a role call. I couldn't help but notice that for most of these classes Tweek was meant to be there. I think Clyde noticed too because every time a teacher would call Tweek's name he'd glance over at me.

I don't know why he did. It's not like I had any answers as to were Tweek was. I knew just as much as Clyde did. Which was nothing.

When lunch eventually rolled around Clyde and I met up with Token in the cafeteria.

It was packed, like it always was for the first few weeks. Too cold to sit outside and with it only being the beginning of the school year we weren't aloud out of the school grounds for lunch yet.

"How're your classes, you smart ass." I spat jokingly as I sat down at the table with a food tray that I'd just collected.

"Pretty boring." He laughed, "You were pretty much right, we've just been going over what we'll be doing in the year."

I clicked my tongue irately, "More than we've been doing." I groaned, pushing around the mush on my plate. Seriously, was this shit edible? "And this fucker's replaced me with fucking McCormick in every fucking class.." I added quickly, with a bitter scowl as Clyde sat down beside me.

He grinned irritatingly, "Aww, Craigy-poo! Don't feel left out, I still love you." The fucker beamed, wrapping his arms around me in a bear hug and rubbing his cheek against me hair.

Shoving him away, I stole a chip off of his plate then went back to my own food.

Clyde just grinned at me as Token watched on with a smile.

"Well, at least school's almost over." I looked up at Token as he spoke, "You wont feel left out then."

Pushing my tray across the table I let out a long, exaggerated sigh and dropped my head onto the table with a quiet thud. I swear, Token was just as bad a Clyde sometimes.

After a few minutes of my sulking I rested my head on crossed arms and watched Clyde and Token as they talked about a new game that had come out recently, and about how we should go to Token's after to play it. Didn't sound like a bad idea, actually.

The noise in the cafeteria had quieted to a soft mutter as the crowd began to thin out, people opting to stand in the hallways or outside instead of the crowded, stuffy cafeteria hall. I had zoned out, staring at the wall beside the table in a daydream when a shout from across the room could be heard.

"Please! Just give me some, I'm out and I need it!" Whoever it was sounded urgent. Like it was a matter of life and death.

At the noise, the rest of the cafeteria had quieted down, preferring to watch the show that had just started instead of talk. Token and Clyde had quieted as well and I have to admit that I sat up from my slouch to watch.

Tweek was standing across the room in front of a taller guy. He didn't look like anyone I knew, the senior year was pretty small, everyone knew everyone, so I could only guess that this person had to be younger than us. Tweek looked worried, his hands were clasped under his chin in a praying motion as he chanted please to the boy in front of him.

"I'll do anything, please just this once."

"You said that last time as well." The boy stated bluntly, eyeing Tweek with disgust.

This time I glanced back at Clyde. I had guessed Tweek had left the school grounds after we had seen him out the back of the school, he hadn't been in any of his classes after all; but apparently not. Clyde had happened to glance at me at the same time, a puzzled and slightly worried expression. Token had looked over too, but that was more to see what we were doing than anything else.

"Please, last time I swear!" Tweek cried again, his tone getting more heightened and pleading.

The boy glanced around the hall at Tweek's high pitched yell. "Christ, shut the fuck up." He spat before seeming to rethink his decision. "Last fucking time, Tweek." He growled before grabbing his arm and storming into the hallway with Tweek in toe.

The room was quiet for a while as people seemed to process what had happened. The boys friends, that Tweek seemed to have interrupted, continued on there way out to the back of the school like nothing had happened.

Noise soon returned as everything went back to normal. I returned my gaze to my own friends.

"Jesus." Token said with a sigh.

"I thought he'd left." Clyde added, looking over to me. "He was meant to be in our classes but he hadn't shown up."

I looked to Token. I don't know why I did, I guess partly because I didn't know how or what Clyde wanted me to say.

Token glanced between Clyde and I, " You don't think he was out the back of the school the whole time, do you?"

"Doubt it, did you see the way he was shivering out there." I mumbled before anyone could get a word in, "He probably did leave but came back again." I rested my head on my hand, "Don't know why he'd bother showing up in the place, though." I added, more to myself.

"What do you think that was about?" Clyde asked.

Why he had to ask was beyond me, as if it wasn't already clear enough. Token looked at Clyde with a blank stare and I rolled my eyes, turning away to look out across the room.

Before anything else could be said the bell rang for the final few periods of the first day.

So, without further thought on the subject, I picked my bag up from under the table carried my food tray, which still had quite a lot of food on it, to the bin and threw it away; tray and all. Token and Clyde followed suit although they left the tray on top of the bin like you are supposed to.

"Well, I've got biology so I'm heading this way." Token said with a wave of his hand as he left in the opposite direction to Clyde and I. We waved weakly in return before heading to class.

The rest of the day went by without much incidents, we would arrive at class be allowed to do whatever the fuck we wanted before being sent on our merry way. There must have been a teacher meeting over lunch because all of our teachers decided it was now a good idea to take the attendance instead of just marking everyone present.

Clyde had also taken to talking to me instead of Kenny. Something Kenny didn't seem to bothered by, I swear to God that guy to have an entertaining conversation with a fucking brick wall.

It wasn't until the last class of the day that something unexpected happened. Tweek showed up to one of the classes, albeit fifteen minutes late but he still showed up.

He stumbled in through the doorway looking half dead. His face was paler than it had been this morning and he looked like he hadn't slept in months. The teacher glanced up from his phone at Tweek's entrance.

"Name and reason you're late." He drawled in a bored voice.

Tweek stood frozen at the front of the class. Glancing between all of the faces that were staring back at him. Clyde kept nudging me in the side, like he thought I hadn't already noticed the boy at the front of the class. I elbowed him in reply.

"Name and reason you're late." The teacher repeated, looking up over his glasses at Tweek.

Finally pulled from his thoughts, Tweek looked to the teacher, "Tweek." He muttered quietly. Though, it must have been heard as the teacher marked down a check beside his name.

"Reason you're late?"

"Erm," Tweek stuttered, "I was sick."

That was a lie if I had ever heard one and believe me I had told many lies, I was practically the king of lying.

The teacher believed it, though, or just didn't seem to care, because he wrote down the reason then waved the end of his pen around the room. "Pick a seat, we're watching a video 'cause it's something easy for your first day back."

Nodding subtly, Tweek made his way through the rows of desks, spotting Clyde and I as he walked by. Eventually, he found a free chair on the row beside me a few desks back.

Clyde watched him for a while. I'm not really sure why, he probably wasn't doing anything interesting. He soon got bored though and returned his attention to me, which could be considered bad on my part, he had spent the entire period talking about Bebe.

The class soon ended and we were left to escape the pit of hell that is called school.

Clyde and I met Token at our lockers, now that we actually had books to put in them. Then left the school, It had warmed up slightly as the day had drawn on. The snow that had blanketed the ground this morning was now just patches of slush. The air still felt damp and clouds of steam still floated from our mouths, but it was warmer.

We headed towards the school car park and piled into my car with out much interruptions, Clyde had stopped briefly to swoon over Bebe before I threatened to leave his ass behind, but apart from that we headed straight for Stark's pond.

It had turned into a tradition of ours that after the first day of every school year we'd go to Stark's pond, share a joint and hope for a good year. The same happened on the last day except we'd celebrate surviving the school year.

When we eventually made it to the pond, having driven in relative silence bar Clyde singing the odd song on the radio. I shut the engine off and looked back at Token who had taken the middle seat in the back.

It was his weed we were using for the joint and so he decided to roll it.

"You think this year will be as boring as the last?" He asked slowly, focusing most of his attention on the skin.

"Here's hopin'" I replied, and it was true. The best thing about my life was that nothing unexpected ever happened. Everything was the same, day in day out, with minor differences of course; but I had the same daily routine. I always knew what to expect and that's just what I liked.

"I wanna get a girlfriend!"

"What about Bebe?" I asked giving Clyde a glare, even Token looked up at him.

"She's great and all, just not really girlfriend material."

"Classy." I rolled my eyes at him and turned back to Token who had just about finished.

We continued to talk about meaningless things as the joint was passed around. That was until Clyde brought up Tweek again. Seriously, I didn't know why the guy was so obsessed with him, okay he had been our friend but that was over a year ago. He didn't need to keep dragging old things up. He was like a cat constantly bring dead things back to it's house.

I watched him, a blank expression on my face.

"Hey, Token, you'll never guess who showed up to last period." He buzzed, rather excitedly for some reason.

"Who?" Token didn't seem to get the point in guessing, but I don't think anybody played along when asked a question like that.

Clyde sighed, but gave in. "Tweek! He showed up late looking like he'd just dragged himself out of a gutter somewhere."

Token looked to me, I nodded, then he looked back to Clyde, "He didn't show up to any other class?"

"Nope." Shaking his head Clyde manoeuvred himself so he was sitting on his legs and facing the back of the car. "Just that one."

"Do you guys think we should step in?" He asked for a second time today, and glanced between Clyde and I.

"Oh, come on." I spat. "Why should we? They guy's doing it to himself he's just asking for shit to happen."

"He's our friend, though." Clyde argued.

"Was. He __iwas/i__ our friend."

"But who else is gonna help him if we don't?"

"His parents?" I growled looking over a Clyde. "Then again they're probably too self absorbed to see that there son is killing himself." I added. Turning away, I opened the windows to let the smoke from the joint roll out into the wind. I was done talking about this. About Tweek. It wasn't any of our business he got himself into it. We were there for him and it didn't mean shit to him. I was done.

The others seemed to have gotten the point because Clyde sighed and turned around in his seat and Token threw the butt of the joint out the window.

We drove back to Token's in silence. I had utterly ruined the mood. It made a small flicker of guilt bud in my gut, but I ignored it. I was allowed to be angry Tweek had been my best friend, I would have done anything for him, but he had abandoned that. Abandoned me. Now he was nothing more than a walking skeleton. He'd done it to himself, though, I hated seeing it but at the end of the day it was his own fault.

I followed Token and Clyde out of the car and into Token's house when we had pulled up. His parents weren't in. Token's parents were never in, though, always off to some fancy dinner or high end business meeting. Clyde made a beeline for the kitchen like usual while Token and I headed up to his room to start up the Xbox.

Call of Duty was always our game of choice, I liked it because I was good at it. I think Token just found it fun and Clyde, I don't really know why Clyde liked it. He was shit. I think he played it because Token and I never give him a choice in the games we play. Mostly because he always heads to the kitchen and isn't around to pick.

As the game started up Clyde dandered his way through the door a half eaten sandwich in one hand and mouth full of said sandwich.

"Cah uf dudy agahn?" He drawled from around the sandwich.

I threw a controller his way without a word and flopped myself down onto the beanbag that sat in front of the T.V. and that I had claimed as mine ever since Token bought the thing.

Clyde sighed and sat beside Token on the bed. I was going to kick his ass for complaining.

We had been playing for a while, Clyde had gotten his ass handed to him multiple times, I had won multiple times and Token had kept the piece when Clyde had thrown his controller at me shouting that I had been cheating and should be banned from playing the game. He was probably expecting a snarky retort in return, he hadn't gotten one though; I wasn't falling for his childish excuses for fights any more.

I mean, I still would, but not right now. I had more important things on my mind.

We had been at Token's for a few hours and I was getting hungry. Cafeteria food did nothing to fill my stomach. It probably would have helped if I ate it, but God knows what that stuff is made of, plus mum always did say I had hollow legs.

Turning to Token, who was still trying to calm Clyde down. "Should we all chip in for some pizza?"

As soon as the words left my mouth Clyde's attention was drawn away from throwing accusations to thoughts of what type of pizza we should get and were we should get from.

As he started muttering to himself, listing off possible pizzerias, Token sat himself on the bed and picked a twenty up from his bedside table. "It's on me, man." I looked at him, shrugged and returned my attention over to Clyde. We had learnt by now that, if Token said he was buying something, he was buying it. So we had learnt not to argue,

Clyde was still mumbling to himself when I looked over, so I threw a pen that I had found on the floor at him. I could see Token roll his eyes at me, he was used to our brotherly bickering, though, and didn't say anything.

"Where're we getting from?"

"Domino's!"

That's how it was normally decided. Clyde was a stubborn bastard and would refuse to eat if he didn't get to pick where we were ordering from.

"What we getting?" Token asked as he stretched himself across the bed to reach his phone.

"Get Hawaiian."

"Ew, what the fuck, Craig?" Clyde looked at me with a face that was beyond disgust. "Pineapple does __inot/i__ belong on pizza."

"You're just scared of anything that's healthy, you fat fuck."

Ignoring me, Clyde turned to Token "Get the-"

"We're getting a plain old pepperoni," He said butting in before Clyde had a chance to order the whole menu, "Nothing wrong with a classic." He added.

While Token ordered us our pizzas, plural because Clyde could go through a large pizza on his own. I booted up another game, on the Wii this time. Mario kart. It was the one game Clyde was at least half decent at and I didn't always get accused of cheating in.

As we waited for our pizzas to arrive we had played through a few races. It was one game I wasn't great at, not completely shit but not great. Clyde, the whiny bitch was still trying to start an argument with me about why putting pineapple on pizza was a sin punishable by death, but, like I normally do, I was blocking him out and focusing instead on the game we were playing. Another race was about to start when we heard the front doorbell ring.

Clyde, of course, was the first one to his feet and the first one to race out the door. He had no reason to rush, it didn't matter who got the the pizzas first, for one Token had the money and secondly, it was always split evenly unless someone didn't want a slice. So, like civilised people, Token and I walked to the front door at a leisurely pace.

The poor pizza guy was stuck in a conversation about why pineapple doesn't belong on pizza when Token and I showed up. We shouldered Clyde out of the way the save the pizza guy the torture of having to speak to him, handed the money to him, thanked him for the pizza, closed the door and headed for the kitchen.

I got the plates, Clyde got us drinks and Token dished out the pizza evenly. It was a system we had created after years of practice. When all was ready we headed back up to Token's room to watch some T.V. while we ate.

At some point during our 'Friends' marathon, a shit show really, did people actually like this? Token's parents had come home and Clyde had left as, in his words, Bebe was calling.

It was around eleven when my mum called telling me I had to come home because I had to get up early in the morning for school. My mum still babied me, so what?

I told Token my goodbyes, said goodbye to his mum who was watching some soap on the T.V. Then left.

It was a lot colder than it had been when we had arrived, which was obvious given it was the middle of the night. My car was still parked outside Token's. I stood and stared at it for a while. I wasn't in the mood the drive home tonight. I enjoyed walking, probably a lot more than the average teenager. So, I texted Token asking him if he could pick me up tomorrow morning in my car because I was going to walk home.

Once I received a reply saying it was no problem I set off. A fresh layer of snow had fallen while I had been in Token's. It covered the ground and and puddles of slush that had once been there. It crunched under my feet as I walked through it. Glowing orange when a street light happened to light up the footpath.

The forest to my left stood ominously tall as I walked. The silhouettes of the trees seemed larger than normal, the moonlight lighting there edges as it rested behind them, and sent towering shadows across the road towards me. The endless expanse of darkness always freaked me out. It wasn't the dark in itself that was scary, it was what could be lurking in the dark that sent a shiver down my spine.

Averting my eyes, I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets and continued walking.

A cloud of water-vapour billowed out around my mouth as I walked. Watching it as it faded into the air, my eyes were drawn to the sky. The one thing I always loved about living out in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere was the fact that there were not enough lights to pollute the sky and cover the glow of the stars. They were clear and vibrant and so easy to enjoy. It was at moments like these that I wished I had some sort of creative hobby, like photography or art, or something so that I could look back at it whenever I wanted to.

I had my head back and eyes closed as I walked, feeling the frigid air nip at the skin of my neck as I made my way home. Enjoying the stillness of my surroundings I let myself fall into my own world. I walked in the direction of out house out of subconscious memory, the only thing to draw me from my thoughts was the sound of uneven footsteps stumbling down the footpath in front of me.

I opened my eyes, looking ahead expecting to see some drunk bum making their way down the street, instead, though, I saw… Tweek.

He looked out of it, tripping over his own feet and trying to balance himself on lamp posts as he passed them.

I stopped, watching him as he made his way closer. I don't think he had noticed me. Well not until I had called his name.

"Tweek, you okay, man?" He stumbled, startled by the sudden noise. "You look like shit man." I muttered more to myself than to him.

"Wha..?" He looked up, a blank stare plastered on his face. I'm not sure he even saw me. He was more just staring in the direction he thought the voice was coming from.

"Are you okay?" I asked again, louder and slower this time. It was like trying to get my point across to a toddler who had no fucking clue what I was talking about. The only answer I received was mumbled gibberish, I'm not sure it could be considered words in any language. I sighed to myself, glanced back and forth down the street.

I didn't know where Tweek thought he was heading. When Tweak Bros. had started picking up in customers the Tweaks had decided to move into the building above the café so they could be closer to the shop. I knew for a fact Tweak Bros. was located in the town centre, which had been the direction Tweek was walking away from.

While I had been thinking, Tweek had muttered something and continued walking in the direction he had been heading. It was clear, though, that he was off his face, and I didn't want him to stumble upon someone not so friendly; and me being a good samaritan and all. I decided I would take him back home.

I grabbed his wrist, and didn't miss the large twitch he gave which was followed by a hard tug. "No, Tweek, common, 'm gonna take you home."

"No!" He yelled abruptly, tugging violently at my grasp on his wrist. The shout had caught me off guard, I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down and I looked up and down the street to make sure nobody had heard him. He continued his mantra of no's as I tried to sooth him.

"Not home. Not home." He began saying.

I shushed him, and ran my hand up and down his arm as gently as I could manage. "Okay, okay, not home." Relenting seemed like the best option, I don't think I could have got him moving if I didn't. I still didn't know where to take him though. I didn't want to leave him for some creep to pick up, and he clearly didn't want to go home from some reason.

Moving my hand from his shoulder I checked the time on my phone. It was coming up to half past twelve, my mum would be wondering what was keeping me. I was surprised I hadn't been bombarded with messages from her already asking what was keeping me. She must have been psychic, though, because as I was thinking it, I got a text asking where I was. That was when it came to me.

'Almost there bringing a friend', I texted back before returning my phone to my pocket and looking up at Tweek who had quieted down.

"We're going back t' my house, okay?" I asked. Although I didn't give him enough time to answer before I was pulling him along behind me.

It hadn't taken us long to reach home. Mum had left the front door unlocked for me, so it was a quick entry. Making sure to lock the door behind me, I dragged Tweek upstairs and into my room.

He had sobered up slightly since I first bumped into him. Only enough, though, to at least realise who __iI/i__ was and where __ihe/i__ was.

"Take your jeans off." I had closed the door and was heading over to my dresser. Tweek was standing somewhat awkwardly beside my bed. "I'll get you a pair of trackies to sleep in." He nodded obediently and did as he was told.

Handing him the tracksuit bottoms, I left for the bathroom to have a pee. When I returned he was already in the tracksuit. "You can have the bed." I offered like a good host while I pulled a cushioned bed mat out of the closet that I normally made Clyde sleep on when he stayed over.

Tweek had climbed into bed, had the covers pulled up to his chin and was watching me with glazed over eyes as I made my own bed.

"You better sober up for school tomorrow." I told him as I climbed into bed.

I hadn't thought about what we were going to do in the morning. It was going to be awkward no doubt. I mean, I was pretty sure Tweek thought I hated him. I guess I didn't give him a reason not to think that. Maybe, if he remembered this in the morning, it would show him that I wasn't as big of an asshole as I let one to be.

As sleep began to pull at me I could hear him tossing and turning in the bed beside me.


	3. UPDATE!

hello to anybody still interested in following this story! sorry, this isn't a chapter update.  
but i've got some pretty good news i think  
i haven't forgotten about this story and i fully intend on finishing it  
though it needed a lot of tweaking to the story which i am in the process of rewriting  
though i'm making headway on the rewriting i wont be uploading any chapters until im at least halfway into writing the chapters out  
that way if my motivation ever starts lacking again i can still upload while i work on getting it back

so, while i cant give a date or time estimate on when the actual story will be back, just know it is in the works and will get finished eventually c:  
i also think my writing skills have improved since a started so chapters 1 and 2 are getting an overhaul as well.

thanks for sticking around, sorry about the wait, more modern desperado is coming!


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